4-STORY BARRACKS NEARLY DONE

Project housing 860 Marines is part of a larger building boom on base since 2010

Construction is being completed this month on a 119,000-square-foot barracks near the School of Infantry that will house 860 Marines.

The $44 million project is part of a larger barracks building boom on base and one of more than two dozen barracks/bachelors quarters, totaling more than $650 million, that have been built or renovated by Harper Construction since 2010.

“The barracks are being built to accommodate additional personnel and improve the quality of life for Marines,” said Gunnery Sgt. Scott Dunn, the base’s public affairs chief.

The four-story building that will be finished this month includes 2,000 square feet of office space and about 1,800 square feet for two arms rooms. Two outdoor amphitheaters were built for small gatherings or instruction and each company has an outdoor activity space with a paved formation area, fitness equipment, wash stations and drying racks.

The barracks includes recruit lounges and a drill instructor’s lounge that were designed with a coffee bar, television viewing area and Internet café with wireless Internet.

The barracks was built in a former parking lot near the School of Infantry in Area 52 and includes a multilevel garage providing spaces for 306 cars and 21 motorcycles.

The roof has solar panels that track the sun, and the building uses geothermal heating in keeping with the base’s conservation efforts.

Move-in is expected in March.

The project contract was awarded in September 2010 with construction starting in August 2011.

Several more barracks are being built through the end of the year, including a Single Marine and Sailor Center slated for completion this spring in Area 52.